Henry T. Clarke

Henry Tefft Clarke, pioneer legislator,
freighter, and bridge builder, settled in Bellevue, Nebraska,
in 1855. He became a steamboat agent at Bellevue and later began
a general merchandise business. He contracted with the government
to supply corn and oats to Fort Kearny between 1862 and 1864,
hauling these products from Bellevue. Later Clarke freighted
merchandise and mining supplies to Denver.

In the mid-1860s Clarke made surveys to
promote location of the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific
Railroad at Bellevue; and the location of railroads from Bellevue
to Sioux City via Omaha, and from Bellevue to Lincoln. After
completing the surveys, Clarke obtained the right-of-way and
constructed the first ten miles of the Burlington line, which
ran from Omaha to Bellevue and on south.

In 1870 Clarke began building highway and
railroad bridges, in time building seven bridges over the Platte
River. In 1876 he built the Camp Clarke Bridge, two thousand
feet in length, over the north fork of the Platte. This toll
bridge provided a short line to the Black Hills goldfields over
the Sidney-Deadwood Trail. The bridge's location made it indispensable
for cattlemen, the United States Army, and freighters.

Clarke established the Clarke Centennial
Pony Express in 1876, connecting Sidney with outposts in the
Black Hills. He also established post offices in the mining towns
and operated a large store, dealing mainly in mining camp supplies.
For building railroads in the state, Clarke received state lands,
which he used to raise grain and livestock. In 1879 he became
involved in the hardware business and in 1883 the wholesale drug
business.

Clarke was a member of the Nebraska territorial
legislature in 1862. He was one of the incorporators of the Northwestern
Electric Light Company, which first furnished electricity for
Omaha. He laid out the town of Bellevue, built its first schoolhouse,
and founded Bellevue College. He was also elected president of
the Nebraska Territorial Pioneers Association and of the Nebraska
State Historical Society. He died in 1913.